Golf Channel presenter suspended over Woods comment

HONOLULU (Reuters) - American cable television network The Golf Channel has suspended one of its presenters for two weeks for making a racially sensitive comment on Friday at the expense of world number one Tiger Woods.

Anchor Kelly Tilghman, a former playing professional, joked in a telecast with Nick Faldo that players bidding to challenge Woods might have to "lynch him in a back alley".

The Golf Channel said on Wednesday it regretted Tilghman's remarks and had decided to suspend her for two weeks.

"There is simply no place on our network for offensive language like this," it said in a statement.

"While we believe that Kelly's choice of words were inadvertent and that she did not intend them in an offensive manner, the words were hurtful and grossly inappropriate."

Tilghman apologized on Tuesday for the remark, which was made after Friday's second round at the PGA Tour's season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship on the Hawaiian island of Maui.

"On Friday, during our golf broadcast, Nick Faldo and I were discussing Tiger's dominance in the golf world and I used some poorly chosen words," she said.

"I have known Tiger for 12 years and I have apologized directly to him. I also apologize to our viewers who may have been offended by my comments."

Mark Steinberg, Woods's agent, said in a statement that the story was a non-issue.

"Tiger and Kelly are friends and Tiger has a great deal of respect for Kelly.

"Regardless of the choice of words used we know unequivocally that there was no ill-intent in her comments. This story is a non-issue in our eyes," he said in a statement.

Tilghman is working as an anchor for a second consecutive season with The Golf Channel, which became the PGA Tour's exclusive cable partner in a 15-year deal starting in 2007.

(Editing by Peter Rutherford)